Abstract
The scattering cross-section of a plasmonic nanoparticle is proportional to the intensity of the electric field that drives the plasmon resonance. In this work we determine the driving field pattern throughout a complete thin-film silicon solar cell. Our simulations reveal that by tuning of the thicknesses of silicon and transparent conductive oxide layers the driving field intensity experienced by an embedded plasmonic nanoparticle can be enhanced up to a factor of 14. This new insight opens the route towards more efficient plasmonic light trapping in thin-film solar cells.
Highlights
The photocurrent of a thin-film solar cell can be enhanced by scattering and trapping the weakly absorbed part of the spectrum [1]
The plasmonic back reflector consists of silver nanoparticles above a planar silver mirror, separated by a transparent spacer layer of aluminium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al)
We demonstrated that the standing wave pattern in a plasmonic back reflector changes dramatically when a solar cell is deposited on top
Summary
The photocurrent of a thin-film solar cell can be enhanced by scattering and trapping the weakly absorbed part of the spectrum [1]. Subsequent research was focused on the use of these silver nanoparticles as light scattering elements for enhancing light trapping in solar cells [6,7]. State-of-the-art performance has been demonstrated in thin-film silicon solar cells deposited onto a so-called plasmonic back reflector [11,12] As indicated, in such a back reflector the silver nanoparticles are embedded in a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer, above a planar silver mirror layer. Stuart and Hall observed strong oscillations in the diffuse reflectance of silver nanoparticles on multi-layer structures [13] These oscillations were later identified as interference phenomena [14]. Interference strongly affects the scattering cross-section of silver nanoparticles embedded in a plasmonic back reflector.
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